The fun is done.
“It’s time now,” point guard Fred VanVleet said of the Raptors after a good-but-not-great season ended Thursday night. “That’s about as much building as we all want to do. I think we have the pieces, and now (it’s) how do you put those pieces together.”
And so they go into the off-season happy but not satisfied, pleased but not complacent, and somehow determined to be better collectively when they regroup for training camp in the fall.
“It’s weird to be in such an up-in-the-air season where nobody thought you were going to be any good, but you know you are good,” VanVleet said. “So, we were playing for a championship, but it was kind of free basketball, so to speak.
“I think coming back with a singular goal in mind will definitely help, and let us all fall into our roles and be the most effective team we can be.”
There are questions to answer and holes to fill for vice-chair Masai Ujiri and general manager Bobby Webster in the coming months. They won’t have a lot of money to spend — likely the so-called mid-level cap exception that’s expected to be just over $9 million (US) — so front-office creativity is going to be a must.
Two key backups — Chris Boucher and Thad Young — become unrestricted free agents in July and, while both would like to return, sacrificing one or the other for shooting or backcourt depth might be necessary.
“I love Toronto, and Toronto did a lot for me,” Boucher said. “From the young player that came here that didn’t know much to who I am now, I owe it all to Toronto.”
Young, who will weigh having off-season surgery on the left thumb he injured in Game 1 of the playoff series against the Sixers, also lauded the organization he joined at the trade deadline, but other factors are at play.
“My kids and my wife are number one,” he said, “and just looking at the team’s build and their structure, and what we’re trying to do and where we’re going, and the focus on the future. Obviously, I don’t know how long I’m going to play, but I’ll be going into year 16. So, just locking in on getting my body right, right now.”
The overall sense is that this group isn’t far away and, given where they were to start the season and where they are now, there’s optimism.
“I think we can definitely get better within without adding anything,” VanVleet said. “Whether we add more shooting or a big, that would obviously help, but the team we have right now, if we just played a little bit better and smarter… I think we can use our strengths a little bit better and that’s something we’ll address as players in the off-season, to try to come back (better) next season.”
VanVleet said he’ll take a bit of time to let his sore knee and hip flexor strain heal before getting right back into the gym. And to improve his body from him to handle the grind, and improve his game from him to expand his contributions from him, he’ll seek out any help he can get.
“I’m never too proud to ask for help or seek out advice,” he said. “I think I’m at that crossroads where, like, 20 points is n’t a good game anymore… he went from underrated, undrafted to overrated very fast.
“So I’ve got to start getting outside the box. I’ve got to start doing things that I’ve never done before. I’ve got to get uncomfortable. I’ve got to find ways to get better, and so at least I can say I’ve done everything that I possibly could.
“There’s still more things that I can personally explore to get better, and I’m looking forward to doing that this summer.”
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